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Ru'dde'r. v No. 231,623. Patented Aug. 24, 1880,.

Witnesses v N. PETERS. PHQHLLITHOGRAEHEH, WASHINGTON, D c.

(flodeLf' 2 Sheets-81169132. U. B. SCOTT.

- Rudder. No. 231,623. Patented Aug. 24, I880.

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RUDDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,623, dated August 24, 1880,

Application filed April 14, 1880..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, URIAH B. SCOTT, of Portland, county of Multnomah, State of Oregon, have invented an Improvement in Rudders; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to certain improvements in that class of rudders known as balanced rudders, such as are commonly used on light-draft stern-wheel river-steamers; and my improvements consist in proy iding a curved or bent rudder-stock, so that when the rudder is turned it will fit close to the bottom of the boat at all points of its swing, thereby preventing drift-wood or other obstructions getting between the rudder-plates and bottom of the boat, as is more fully described in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a rear or edge view. Fig. 2 is a side view. Fig. 3 is a bottom view. Fig. at is a perspective view.

In the ordinary light'draft river-steamers propelled by stern or side wheels it is a common custom to use more than one rudder, sev-.

eral rudders being linked together to operate together. These rudders are more commonly used on the stern-wheelers. They are balanced rudders-that is, the rudder-stock of each, moving in pintles on the stern of the boat, is secured in the center of the rudder-plate, and half of the rudder projects forward under the boat and half projects back. This is done to getabroad surface of resistance and to cause the rudders to act quickly, while at the same time less power is required to operate them. Even when the boats are perfectly flat-bot tomed the run or stern end of the bottom is usually rounded up somewhat to prevent the boat dragging dead water and to give a free departure to the water. Where this is the case the rudders cannot fit close to the bottom at all points of the arc of the circle which they traverse. In a boat with a rounded run, or one having any dead-rise whatever, the rudder has to be set low enough below the bottom so that when turned with the forward end in toward the center or keel its point will not touch the bottom of the boat. When, however, the rudder is turned in the opposite direction, with the forward point toward the side of the boat there will be a wide gap between the top of (MOdeL) the rudder and the bottom of the boat. Floating drift-wood, branches, 850., passing under the boat, very frequently catch in this gap and disable the rudder.

If the boat were perfectly flat-bottomed, the rudder swinging in the arc of a circle would be no farther from the boats bottom at one point than another; but, as stated, even the perfectly flat-bottomed boats are more or less rounded up at the stern or are given some slight degree of dead-rise at that point. The rudders commonly in use, therefore, do not swing as near the bottom of the boat as is desirable, and considerable trouble is experienced from drifting articles catching between them and the boats bottom.

I arrange the rudder and stock so that the rudder will swing at all points very close to the boat, even on boats with considerable deadrise or very much rounded stern. In order to do this I afitix to the rudderA a stock, B, which is curved, as shown at a. This stock is then hung in its pintles slightly at an angle from the rudder-post of the steamer, as shown.

By this construction, when the rudderstock is turned by the usual connections the rudder swings on an arc of the circle somewhat at an angle to the horizontal, this angle agreeing with the dead-rise of the bottom of the boat and regulated by the bend of the stock. The rudder is thus caused to fit close to the bottom of the boat at all positions in its arc of motion. The stock of the rudders on opposite sides of the stern-post would be bent in opposite directions to accomplish this object. As the rudders always fit close to the bottom there is no opportunity for logs, driftwood, or other floating substances to catch between the rudder and boat and disable the steering apparatus.

I make my rudder in a peculiar shape. It is rounded up to a point forward of the stock, and its upper after end is cut away, as shown at b. This gives it very effective steering powers. Its curved forward end directs away from it all drift coming in contact with it. At that portion of the rounded part of the stern where the rudder swings in its are I flatten the bottom slightly, as shown at 0, this flattening only being done where the rudder swings. By thus flattening the bottom of rounded bottoms slightly my rudder will swing stock, B, attached to the stern out of a vertivery close and true and prevent accumulation cal line, for the purpose set forth.

of drift-wood, 86c. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my [0 Having thus described my invention, what hand.

5 I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let- Witnesses: URIAH B. SCOTT.

ters Patent, is J F. WATSON, A rudder, A, in combination with a curved F. O. SMITH. 

